Chemically Imbalanced (espresso-jogged screeds)

on the road: sock crust swilling

how does this blog respond to the peppy fan mail professing a daily affinity for CI snark? why, it lazily punts for five days straight!

actually, we are meandering through the unenlightened midwest, where one has a better chance of finding hydrogenated corn-based bio-diesel than decent shottage. a southern indiana charbucks assuaged the building urge for ‘spro about as soothingly as a mouth-swab of acne-zapping astringent towelettes. more than a year after the last fling with the mermaid, she’s as closely allied with wormwood as ever!

the northern indiana token of obligatory downtown cafe ambiance (“couches! window beads! you’ll feel so hip an attentive barista would seem out of place!”) similarly left the palate lurching for the magic of confection. “the daily grind” (original, eh?) offered, at least, something that mousetailed … alas, it seems that was because the faema’s flow rate was severely restricted by an excess of spout crust.

now passing a couple nights with nate the finger, he of the oddly effective ghetto roasting method. and how does this blog choose to spend its precious vacation evening hours? why, compiling an annotated guide of must-see joints in seattle and vancouver for an acquaintance traveling to mecca. it’s all part of this blog’s proud public service tradition… you’re welcome, monica!

speaking of the main attractions, the list of clover-brewed coffees at cafe artigiano is looking mighty, mighty fine.

the above-belabored suffering serves only as dramatic foil, of course, for the weekend’s central jaunt. a trip to chicago — ostensibly to visit kin — will prove coincidentally coincidental with this blog’s burning desire to frequent the media-darling cafe intelligentsia, which can now boast of official world class barista action in its graphic design department. that’s like saying my pinky could double as a 58 mm tamper! in any case, this blog hopes to drop in on both all three locations.

and maybe — just maybe — we’ll see barista-come-graphic-artist matt riddle at the bar, coloring tip jar labels! if so, we will ask him to autograph one, just for us. and we will post it on this blog as proof.

UPDATE: commenter steve offers clover-brewing location specifics. but, ah, the randolph street site isn’t listed on intelly’s web page. is it just me, or isn’t there supposed to be — at a media-saturated, highly profitable, third-wave-cresting establishment like intelly — an in-house web/graphics person responsible for timely online content? c’mon, people. a little more attention to job descriptions…